Local players in contention after round 1 in Sunnehanna Amateur
By Mike Dudurich, Contributing Writer • June 12, 2025
WESTMONT - Plenty of good stories all around a golf course filled with some of the best young golfers from across the country as well as some local competitors who have played well over the last year.
And so it was Wednesday when the first round of the 84th Sunnehanna Amateur where the field of 101 spent a day playing and grinding under the bright sunlight in suburban Johnstown.
Western Pennsylvania had five players in the field, and they all played reasonably well.
Canonsburg's Rocco Salvitti led the way, finishing with a one-under par 69 and is currently in 29th place.
"I was a little sloppy out there and I can’t do that, but you can't be real unhappy if you make six birdies, right?” Salvitti said.
"You can't win the tournament on the first day, but you can lose it, so making birdies on 16 and 18 gave me momentum for tomorrow."
J.F. Aber of Pittsburgh is a shot behind Salvitti, and he had one of the most interesting rounds of the day.
"I was hoping to get off to a good start with a birdie or two and that didn't work," he said with a sigh.
Instead, he bogeyed both and instantly found himself in a tough spot. But he didn't throw it away. He birdied the 15th, 16th and 17th to move back up the leaderboard.
"I'm pretty proud of myself, coming back like that. Some of these tournaments I have trouble getting my game locked in, but not this week."
Another big-time supporter of the tournament is Nick Turowski of Harrison City, who shot a one-over round of 71.
"This place has really, really fast greens, but today they weren't super-fast, normal speed," he said. "This is one favorite courses to ever play."
Turowski made five birdies, four bogeys and a 6 on the par 4 12th.
He had amusing story to tell as well.
"I came here many times to watch Mark (Goetz) and Palmer (Jackson] and today I thought about that and started smiling. I was going up 6 fairway and happened to look over to the left and they were looking and laughing."
Defending West Penn Amateur Champion Nathan Piatt of Pittsburgh made six birdies and posted a score of 71.
Rounding out the local contingent was David Fuhrer II who turned in a score of 73. But it was tough. He had three bogeys and a double bogey. Fuhrer II posted three birdies.
For any media inquiries, please contact WPGA Director of Communications Josh Rowntree.
About the WPGA
Founded in 1899, the Western Pennsylvania Golf Association is the steward of amateur golf in the region. Started by five Member Clubs, the association now has nearly 200 Member Clubs and nearly 37,000 members. The WPGA conducts 14 individual competitions and 10 team events, and administers the WPGA Scholarship Fund and Western Pennsylvania Golf Hall of Fame.